Earth boring machine

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for boring large diameter holes. A drilling mechanism is pivotally mounted on a base and arranged so that it may drill at any angle from the horizontal, either up or down. Means are provided to divert the drilling residue and loose rock and a drill pipe positioning system installs and removes sections of the drill pipe.

United States Patent Young et al.

EARTH BORING MACHINE James W. Young, Irving; George A. Cason, Dallas,both of Tex.; Ernest 0. Kunkel,

Inventors:

Assignee:

Filed:

Appl. No.:

Nevada, Mo.

Dresser Industries, Inc., Dallas, Tex.

Feb. 2, 1970 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Millsapps, Jr 175/85i l u L I7 I4 f a if o "W w: w

[ 51 May 2, 1972 3,190,370 6/1965 Kuello-Aune et al......... .....l73/372,657,908 11/1953 Failing 1 73/164 2,662,737 12/1953 Edelberg 1 73/1643,131,776 5/1954 Kuello-Aune et al 173/164 2,832,567 4/1958 Fletcher etal 173/34 Primary Examiner-James A. Leppink A!mrneyRobert W. Mayer,Thomas P. Hubbard, Jr., Daniel Rubin, Raymond '1'. Majesko, Roy L. VanWinkle, William E. Johnson, Jr. and Eddie E. Scott [57] ABSTRACT Anapparatus for boring large diameter holes A drilling mechanism ispivotally mounted on a base and arranged so that it may drill at anyangle from the horizontal, either up or down. Means are provided todivert the drilling residue and loose rock and a drill pipe positioningsystem installs and removes sections of the drill pipe.

3 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures PATENIED MAY 2 m2 SHEET 10F 6 INVENTORSJAMES W. YOUNG GEORGE A. CASOMJR.

ERNEST 0. KUNKEL far) ATTORNEY PiATEHTEDm 2 I972 3. 659, 661

SHEET 2 [IF 6 v FIG. 2

C C J 65 64 munglnml' 28 Wm A I L 3! 21 I I V INVENTORS JAMES W. YOUNGFIG. 4 GEORGE A. CASON,JR.

ERNEST 0. KUNKEL fizz- 1M ATTORNEY PATENTEDMM 2 m2 SHEET 30F 6 FIG.6

INVENTORS JAMES W. YOUNG ATTORNEY ng-515mm 21912 I 3,659,651

SHEET w e INVENTORS JAMES W. YOUNG GEORGE A. CASOMJR.

Q F I 6. IO ERNEST 0. KUNKEL ATTORNEY EARTH BORING MACHINE BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION This invention relates to the art of earth boring and moreparticularly to an apparatus for boring large diameter holes. Theoperation generally proceeds by the drilling of a small pilot holefollowed by enlargement to the desired size by a reaming operation.

The invention has specific utility in raise drilling, but also is usefulin other mining operations such as driving a pilot hole for shaftsinking, for tunneling or boring emergency exits. The invention may alsobe applied to operations other than mining and in general may be appliedto earth boring whether conducted above or below the earths surface.

Raise drilling is the term used to denote the opening of a passagewaybetween two levels of an underground mine. A raise may be used forventilation purposes, connecting stopping levels, as an ore pass, forwaste transfer, as an entrance or exit or for any other operationwherein a passageway is required. A raise may be vertical or at an angleto the vertical. The stringent requirements of raise drilling limit thesize of the overall drilling apparatus, impose fixed environmentalparameters and impose limitations on servicing and repair. Among themany requirements is the need for a simple and compact machine that willoperate reliably in the confines of an underground area. The machineshould be self-contained and yet be able to operate with limitedventilation. In addition, the machine must be adaptable to being movedin the elevators and narrow passageways of a mine. The need forsimplicity, reliability, and safety is extremely important and this mustbe provided without reducing the mechanical operation of the machine.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Prior art systems of raise drilling havebeen slow, dangerous and the quality of the raise produced has been low.These prior art systems have included the blast method of driving raisesand more recently the Alimak Climber. Prior art systems of mechanizedraise drilling, while an improvement over earlier systems, have beenbulky and inefficient. These prior art mechanized raise drilling systemsare represented by the systems shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,460,638 toMillsapps, Jr. and U.S. Pat. No. 320,491 to Cannon et al.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention provides an improved apparatusthat can bore a large diameter hole either up or down and at any angleto the vertical. A pair of support columns are pivotally mounted on abase. A carriage is mounted for up and down movement along the supportcolumns and carries the drilling equipment. Means are provided forstabilizing the drilling apparatus and the formations. Control andremoval of cuttings and drilling residue are included. Means areprovided to place drill pipe in position for drilling and for removingdrill pipe from the drill string.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide animproved earth boring apparatus.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improvedraise drilling apparatus.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide anearth boring apparatus that can drill either up or down and at any angleto the horizontal.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide anearth boring apparatus that is compact and self-contained.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a raisedrilling apparatus that includes support for the formations andstabilization of the machine.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a raisedrilling apparatus that includes control of the drilling residue andcuttings.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide anearth boring apparatus that includes a drill pipe positioning system.

The above and other objects and advantages will become apparent from aconsideration of the following detailed description when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. I is a perspective view of oneembodiment of the boring machine.

FIG. 2 illustrates a pressure bracket for positioning a reaction post.

FIG. 3 shows the reaction post, spring and jack screw.

FIG. 4 shows a guide bushing that may be attached to the reaction post.

FIG. 5 illustrates a hopper used to deflect drilling residue andcuttings.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of one of the packers.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the carriage, drill assembly and power assembly.

FIG. 8 is a side view of another embodiment of the drill head. 7

FIG. 9 is a top view of one of the slip tables.

FIG. 10 is a front view of the boring machine showing both of the sliptables.

FIG. 11 is a front view of the drill pipe positioner.

FIG. 12 is a side view of the drill pipe positioner including a rackwith drill pipe.

FIG. 13 shows the boring machine in position reaming down at an angle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawing andin particular to FIG. 1, a boring machine indicated generally byreference numeral 10 is anchored to the ground by base elements 11 and12. In order to be certain that the boring machine is firmly affixed tothe ground, a concrete foundation pad may be installed and the baseelements 11 and I2 firmly attached thereto. When the boring machine isused for drilling raises or for other operations in .an undergroundtunnel, adit, drift or other passageway; a telescoping reaction post 13may be provided to give additional stability to the boring machine 10and support to the overhead formations. The reaction post 13 extends tothe ceiling and is held in place by a clamping bracket 14 mounted on oneof the support columns 8 or 9.

In order to seat the reaction post, clamping bracket 14 may be loosened,thereby allowing reaction post 13 to slide. A pressure bracket 15 shownin FIG. 2 is attached to the drill column 16 and connected to reactionpost 13. By actuation of the main thrust cylinder 17, upward force fromthe drill string may be transmitted to reaction post 13 and the reactionpost seated firmly in the ceiling. Clamping bracket 14 is then tightenedand the boring machine 10 is in place for operation.

Included with reaction post 13 is a means of automatically applyingtorque to a jack screw mounted therein to provide and maintain a rigidsupport member that resists any tendency to loosen or vibrate. As shownin FIG. 3, a spring 18 and jack screw 19 housed within the reaction post13 constantly apply a force to stabilize the machine and compensate forany fretting action or deflection in the face of the formation beingdrilled. A cylindrical cover 20 with an open bottom end fits over thetop of reaction post 13 to protect the internal parts from debris. Thetop of cover 20 is seated in the ceiling according to the procedurepreviously described. The jack screw 19 is attached to cover 20 by aswivel means 21 thereby allowing jack screw 19 to turn with cover 20remaining in place. A threaded portion 22 of reaction post 13 mates withthe threads on jack screw 19 and as jack screw 19 turns the verticallength of the overall support member is extended. The force to turnthejack screw is stored and transmitted by spring 18. With several turnsbuilt into the spring 18, the jack screw 19 has the capability ofextending to maintain stability of the machine. The make up torque maybe applied to the spring by hand or by actuating a drive motor (notshown) geared to supply the necessary force. In the embodiment shown, aratchet mechanism 23 is attached to the opposite end of spring 18thereby allowing the operator to make up the spring with a wrench.

The reaction post 13 provides support for a guide bushing 24 (shown inFIG. 4), a hopper 25 and packers 26 and 27. Clamping brackets are a partof each of these elements allowing them to be mounted on the reactionpost. The clamping brackets are adjustable so that the position of theelements along reaction post 13 may be changed by loosening the clamps.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the guide bushing 24 provides a means ofstabilizing the drill column and is especially useful when spudding inbecause the distance between the rotary head and theceiling requires agreater length of drill string than when drilling down. Theadjustability of clamping bracket 28 allows the bushing to be placedclose to the rock face being drilled and to be removed from the reactionpost after the guide bushing is no longer needed. The bushing material29 may be any suitable material, for example, brass. The guide bushingis split into halves so that it may be removed from the drill pipewithout withdrawing the entire drill string. The two halves of the guidebushing are held together by connections 30 and 31. The guide bushingmaterial 29 is held in place by adjustable elements 32 and 33. Theadjustability of elements 32 and 33 allows guide bushing element 29 tobe removed and other similar elements inserted in its place. Thisprovides a means of replacing worn or damaged bushings and allows thesize of the opening to be changed. Although the guide bushing 24 isshown as connected to the reaction post 13, it is tobe understood thatthe guide bushing 24 may also be attached to the support columns orupper slip tables.

When drilling up, the drilling residue and cuttings must be divertedfrom the boring machine and controlled to provide safety to theoperating personnel and to protect the boring machine. A hopper 25 isprovided to deflect some of the residue and cuttings and in general maybe expected to handle the larger debris. A first packer 26 and secondpacker 27 are positioned below the hopper 25 to handle the remainingdebris. The hopper and packers must be adjustable to handle the variouselements of the drill string with diameters larger than the drill pipe.For example, the stabilizer element 34 being moved through hopper 25 inFIG. 1 is substantially larger than the drill pipe. Although adjustablethe hopper and packers must insure that all of the debris coming downthe hole is diverted. Further control of the debris may be according tosystems used in underground mines such as an endless belt or mechanizedloaders.

Referring now to FIG. 5, the hopper 25 includes a main cylindrical body35 open at both ends. The hopper is attached to reaction post 13 byclamp 36 and arm 37. Two symmetrical deflection elements 38 and 39 arepivotally connected to the main body 35 by pins 40 and 41. A plate 42,connected to the main body 35, gives additional support to deflectionelements 38 and 39 and at the same time allows them to slide in order toprovideadjustment in size of the central opening. A double actingpneumatic or hydraulic cylinder 43 controls the size of the centralopening and it can be appreciated that as various elements of the drillstring are moved through hopper 25 the deflection elements may beadjusted to provide optimum control of debris. Rubber bushings 44 and 45are provided to give a certain amount of flexibility to the deflectionelements. The debris is first diverted by deflection elements 38 and 39and then channeled to a disposal area by means of a chute 46. Thedeflection elements and chute are slanted to provide better control ofthe debris.

Referring again to FIG. 1, a packer system 47 is installed belowthehopper. This consists of one or more assemblies surrounding the drillstring and supported by reaction post 13. This system includes a seriesof overlapping leaves 48 shaped in a conical fashion, the upper lips ofwhich contact the drill column 16. As the stabilizer 34 or drill stringsections of different size pass through each packer, the leaves aredeflected outwardly by tapered engagement with the enlarged section. Aspring arrangement may be provided for keeping positive engagementagainst the drill string at all times. Any fluid or slurry not deflectedby the hopper 25 is trapped and deflected away from the boring machineby packers 26 and 27. For the most effective seal, two packers should beused with the spacing between packers sufiicient to span the length ofthe stabilizer or other enlarged drill string elements so that one ofthe packers is in contact with the drill rod at all times, however, itis to be understood that a single packer could also be used.

Referring now to FIG. 6, another embodiment of one of the packers isshown that includes means to automatically open the overlapping leaves.A cylindrical drum 49 open at both ends is centralized in the packer andadapted for up and down movement. A hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder 50connected between brace 51 and drum 49 provides the force required tomove the drum 49. A single hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder 50 is shownfor illustration purposes but it is to be understood that aplurality ofsuch cylinders may be provided to ensure smooth and uniform operation.Rollers 52 are connected to the upper edge of drum 49 to reduce frictionbetween drum 49 and leaves 48 as drum 49 is moved upward. Actuation ofcylinder 50 may be accomplished manually or by means of an automaticsystem that detects drill string. elements having an enlarged diameter.One means of detecting the oncoming enlarged diameter drill stringelements is an arm and roller element 53. This element 53 extends intothe central opening and contacts the drill string elements as they movethrough the packer. When an enlarged element such as stabilizer 34 comesinto contact with the arm and roller element 53 they will be deflected.This deflection movement is transmitted to switching element 54 which inturn actuates cylinder 50. Cylinder 50 moves upward until rollers 52contact the overlapping leaves 48. Further upward movement of drum 49causes leaves 48 to pivot and open to allow the enlarged element to passtherethrough. The packer element is connected to reaction post 13 by arm55 and clamp 56. The main body 57 of the packer may be slanted andincludes a raised outer lip to contain debris diverted by leaves 48. Achute 58 transmits the debris to a disposal area.

Referring again to FIG. 1, support columns 8 and 9 are pivotallyconnected to the base elements 11 and 12 by hinges 59 and 60. Braces 61and 62 extend between base elements 11 and 12 and support columns 8 and9. It can be appreciated that the length of the braces 61 and 62determines the angle the support columns make with the horizontal andconsequently the drilling angle. It is therefore possible to adjust thesupport column angle for various drilling operations by replacing braces61 and 62 with braces of a different length. Accordingly drilling mayproceed at any angle to the vertical and may even include horizontaldrilling.

A carriage 63 is mounted for up and down travel along the supportcolumns. The carriage extends between support columns 8 and 9. Eachsupport column includes means to guide the carriage during up and downtravel. The guide means may include rollers attached to the carriagethat are seated in a guide track extending along the length of thesupport columns or some other suitable guide means. The carriage 63supports a drill head assembly 64 and a power cage assembly 65. The mainthrust cylinder 17 provides the force necessary to move the carriagealong the support columns. The thrust cylinder 17 may be a double-actinghydraulic cylinder that will provide thrust in either direction duringoperation of the boring machine. The body of thrust cylinder 17 isattached to the carriage 63 and the piston 66 is connected to a crossframe 67 extending between support columns 8 and 9 and firmly affixedthereto. Fluid to actuate the thrust cylinder is provided by a centralpower unit and transmitted to the thrust cylinder by conventional means.It is to be understood that control and operation of the variouselements may be according to means well known in the art.

The drill head assembly 64 and power cage assembly 65 are supported bycarriage 63 and adapted to be easily changed from drilling up todrilling down. This may be best shown by reference to FIGS. 1 and 7. Thepower cage 65 is attached to the drill head unit 64 by two pinconnections 68 and 69 and a transmission unit interconnects drill headunit 64 and power cage 65. This transmission may be a chain drive, geardrive, or other transmission system. The carriage is first lowered toapproximately the ground level, the transmission disconnected and thepower cage removed. Removal of the power cage is easily accomplished bydisconnecting one of the pin connections and then pivoting the powercage to one side. For example, pin 68 may be removed and the power cage65 pivoted to one side. Movement of the main thrust cylinder 17 thenallows the power cage 65 to be positioned on a receiving unit next tothe boring machine. The other pin 69 is disconnected and the power cageis completely removed. The carriage 63 is raised to the top of supportcolumns 8 and 9 until it is out of the guide tracks. The drill head 64and carriage 63 are then turned 180 and reinserted in the guide tracks.The drill head is now ready for drilling down. Carriage 63 is loweredand the power cage attached by reversing the procedure previouslyexplained. It can be appreciated that the drill head could also bereversed by removing the connections between carriage 63 and drill head64.

In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 8, the drill head has a chuck forholding the drill pipe at each end that can be used for up or downdrilling without requiring reversal of the drilling head. A chuck 70 isprovided on the top of the drill head for overhead drilling according tothe procedures previously explained. In addition, a second chuck 71 isprovided at the lower end to be used when drilling down. The otherelements of this embodiment may be provided as described previously.

As shown in FIG. 1, each section of the drill pipe has at least one setof flats 72 that may be used when adding or removing pipe from the drillstring. During drilling operations the connections between sections ofdrill pipe may become extremely tight and require the application ofhigh torque to break the connection. This is accomplished by a sliptable located on a cross bar that extends between support columns 8 and9. As best shown in FIG. 9 the slip table includes a generally U- shapedslip 73 that may be moved into position in flats 72 to hold a section ofthe drill pipe against rotational movement as torque is applied toloosen the connection. By reversing the drive mechanism or othersuitable means of applying torque to the adjacent drill pipe sectionsuch as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,446,284 to N. D. Dyer 'et al., theconnection may be broken. The slip table also serves to hold the weightofthe drill string as each section of drill pipe is being removed.Movement of slip 73 may be accomplished by a double-acting hydrauliccylinder 74 or other suitable means.

With reference to FIG. 10, the boring machine is provided with a pair ofslip tables 75 and 76 to accommodate both up and down drilling. Lowerslip table 75 is mounted below the drill head on a cross frame 77 thatextends between support columns 8 and 9. When drilling down this sliptable 75 is used to hold the drill pipe from rotation according to theprocedure previously explained. Upper slip table 76 is mounted on across frame 78 above the drill head and is used when drilling up. Bothslip tables include a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder 74 for moving theU-shaped slip 73.

Addition or removal of drill pipe sections to the drill string may beaccomplished by means of a drill pipe positioner indicated generally byreference numeral 79. The drill pipe positioner 79 will lift, positionand release the drill pipe in proper relation to the drill head 64 andother portions of the drill string and by reversing the action willattach to the drill pipe, lift and release it for removal and stacking.This allows one operator to accurately pick up, lift, and position thesections of drill pipe because the precision positioning allows a handsoff make up and break out of the drill string. As best shown in FIGS. 11and 12, a main arm element 80 is pivotally attached to one of thesupport columns 8 by hinge 81. A hydraulic cylinder 82 is connectedbetween arm 80 and the support column 8 and supplies the force to movearm 80. An intermediate arm element 83 including a pair of parallel arms84 and 85 is pivotally attached to arm and a double-acting hydrauliccylinder 86 is connected so as to provide movement of the intermediatearm element. Attached to each of anns 84 and are gripper elements 87,88, 89, and 90. Double-acting hydraulic cylinders 91 and 92 providemovement of gripper elements 87 and 89. It is to be understood thatother gripping means may also be used, for example, an electromagneticgripping unit. I

As shown in FIG. 12, the sections of drill pipe are held by rack 93.With arm 80 in the horizontal position hydraulic cylinder 86 is actuatedthereby moving intermediate arm element 83 and parallel arms 84 and 85until gripper elements 88 and 90 come into contact with a section ofdrill pipe 94 on rack 93. Then hydraulic cylinders 91 and 92 areactuated to move and lock gripper elements 87 and 89 firmly onto drillpipe section 94. Hydraulic cylinder 82 may then be actuated to tiltdrill pipe section 94 and position it parallel to the support column 8.Hydraulic cylinder 86 is then actuated to move drill pipe section 94into alignment with the drill string and rotary head 64. The carriage ismoved to make contact between the rotary head 64 and the drill pipesection 94. Rotation of rotary head 64 produces engagement of thethreads on rotary head 64 and mating threads on the drill pipe section.Further rotation of rotary head 64 produces mating of the threadsbetween the drill pipe section 94 and the drill string. The operationpreviously explained is simply reversed when the drill pipe sections arebeing removed from the drill string.

A fail safe feature is provided to ensure that the gripper elements 87and 89 are firmly connected to the drill pipe when the pipe is moved.This system is best understood by considering the overall hydraulic orpneumatic system. A one way check valve is located in the line tocylinders 91 and 92 connected to the gripper elements. Fluid from thesecylinders can only be dumped through a pilot valve in a line thatbypasses the one way check valve. The pilot valve is actuated from thecontrol panel when the gripper elements are to be released. This insuresthat the drill pipe will not be dropped during handling.

The fluid system also includes choke valves in the lines to cylinders 82and 86. This limits the speed of arms 80, 84, and 85 and ensures thatthe drill pipe will not be slammed into position.

The drill pipe positioner 79 provides a simple and yet reliableautomatic system of handling drill pipe and can be operated by one man.It can be appreciated that the system is operative regardless of thedrilling angle or direction of drilling and will provide accuratepositioning of the drill pipe from a rack located near the boringmachine. Because the system provides a floating effect during make up ofa section of drill pipe with the drill string, it prevents damage to thedrill pipe threads.

Referring now to FIG. 13, the boring machine is shown in position in anunderground mine reaming down at an angle to the vertical. A pilot holehas been drilled upward to an opening above and the bit removed. Areamer bit 95 is attached to the drill string and the operation proceedsby reaming downward. The main power unit 96 is shown on a movabletransport 97. Hydraulic or pneumatic hoses 98 connect the variouselements and supply the power for operation.

Although the boring machine is shown drilling a raise that extendsupward, it can be appreciated that a similar operation can beaccomplished by drilling a pilot hole down to a mine opening below andsubsequently reaming from the bottom upward. This invention provides asimple, compact, and reliable system of accomplishing both operations.The safety aspect of the system of this invention is much better thansystems of the prior art. The prior art systems have been very slow whencompared to the systems of this invention and the finished passageway ofthis invention is of a much higher quality because it is smooth andrequires very little if any additional work before being put intoservice.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

tion of a rotary drill string comprising:

a base,

support columns mounted on said base,

a carriage mounted for up and down travel along said support columns,

drilling means connected to said carriage for rotation of said rotarydrill string thereby drilling either up or down,

control and stabilizing means for stabilizing the earth boring apparatusand earth formations and for controlling residue from drilling,

first slip table means connected between said support columns above saidcarriage for holding said drill string from rotation when adding orremoving sections of drill string, and 7 second slip table meansconnected between said support columns below said carriage for holdingsaid drill string from rotation when adding or removing sections ofdrill 8 string.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 including:

a movable arm means associated with said support columns for moving asection of the drill string from a generally horizontal position to aposition substantially parallel to said drill string,

intermediate arm means connected to said movable arm means for movingsaid drill string section into line with said drill string, and

gripping means connected to said intermediate arm means for grippingsaid section of drill string.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 including a movable arm means associatedwith said support columns for moving a section of the drill string froma position in line with said drill string to a generally horizontalposition, intermediate arm means connected to said movable arm means formoving said drill string section relative to said movable arm means, andgripping means connected to said intermediate arm means for grippingsaid section of drill string.

1. A boring apparatus for drilling earth formations by rotation of arotary drill string comprising: a base, support columns mounted on saidbase, a carriage mounted for up and down travel along said supportcolumns, drilling means connected to said carriage for rotation of saidrotary drill string thereby drilling either up or down, control andstabilizing means for stabilizing the earth boring apparatus and earthformations and for controlling residue from drilling, first slip tablemeans connected between said support columns above said carriage forholding said drill string from rotation when adding or removing sectionsof drill string, and second slip table means connected between saidsupport columns below said carriage for holding said drill string fromrotation when adding or removing sections of drill string.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1 including: a movable arm means associated with saidsupport columns for moving a section of the drill string from agenerally horizontal position to a position substantially parallel tosaid drill string, intermediate arm means connected to said movable armmeans for moving said drill string section into line with said drillstring, and gripping means connected to said intermediate arm means forgripping said section of drill string.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1including a movable arm means associated with said support columns formoving a section of the drill string from a position in line with saiddrill string to a generally horizontal position, intermediate arm meansconnected to said movable arm means for moving said drill string sectionrelative to said movable arm means, and gripping means connected to saidintermediate arm means for gripping said section of drill string.